rakuen | Round 1 [new characters and round announcement]

You're falling, and you can't remember why. It's a sickening feeling that makes your insides lurch; the darkness and the vertigo combine, and all you can think of is a story you heard once, somewhere.

- I remember now. It's a simple story that everyone knows. A legend of a Princess, the Demon Lord who kidnapped her, and the Knight who fought to save her.

The Demon Lord had kidnapped the Princess countless times, but every time the Knight bested his challenges and rescued the Princess.

No matter what tricks and ploys the Demon Lord used, the Knight would always triumph in the end. This was because--

The world tilts on its axis one last time, and the dream slips from your mind as easily as it arrived. A new voice intrudes on your sleep.

"Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. This tramline terminates here; all change. Next stop: Academy Main Entrance. All change."

Sunlight streams through the windows of the long carriage, making the seats almost uncomfortably warm beneath its waking passengers. The air is muggy and thick, the atmosphere deeply tired. Your nausea settles, slowly. The last of the dream fades.

"We have arrived at Utopia. Repeat, we have arrived at Utopia Academy. Could all passengers please leave the tram, as it is terminating here."

The tram pulls to a stop outside the academy station, and the students onboard are ushered off and directed to the front lobby of the school. They can't miss it; there are signs up pointing toward the main entrance, reading "New student orientation" in big, bright letters. If anyone should care to move off the path, try exploring somewhere else, a teacher will conveniently appear to shoo them back toward the lobby, assuring them that "all your questions will be answered inside".

The lobby is big and spacious, looking more like a university or perhaps a fancy international hotel than a high school. Stood around are any number of students in the uniform of the school. Some of them even look awake. There are several receptionists at the desk towards the back of the lobby, but for now they seem busy with paperwork.

[ Note: the round announcement will go up in a thread once you've all mingled. ♥ ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ed Elric is not happy.

Between the weird dream and the situation he'd woken up to, he was anything but happy. He'd tried to stop, to inform the more official-looking people that there's been a mix-up, that there's somewhere he needs to be, that he's not supposed to be here - wherever "here" is - and where the returning train is. But somehow he's wound up in this lobby with a bunch of other people that seem to be at least as confused as he is if not as upset. Then again, it would be hard to match how upset Edward is right at this very moment.

So as an alternative, Ed moves through the crowd to try to talk to someone else about this predicament. There has to be someone with an ounce of influence and a lick of sense around here.

Miwako had decided to go back to school, yes, but this certainly wasn't the school she'd meant. She pushed through the crowd, trying to find someone who seems like they would know the answers, and bumps into Ed.

"Ack--! I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..."

Ed only stumbles a bit, hands coming up automatically to help steady the person if they need it. He barely even glances at her, too preoccupied with figuring out who he should be talking with in order to fix this.

"Don't worry about it," he says distractedly, his agitation with... everything apparent in his voice.

She fidgets, stepping back when his hands go up. She's still not good in crowds or around other people. "Ah-- okay."

She looks around and shrinks back a bit. "Do you know where we are?"

"No idea." Only then as he shrugs does he look over at her. "Just that it's nowhere near where I need to be."

His eyes scan the room quickly, the frown on his face deepening. "Did you happen to see where any of the staff ran off to?"

She shakes her head and looks about the room. There are some adults, but... "They just... seemed like they disappeared into thin air."

More great news. This whole situation was fantastic.

"Perfect. Guess it's just as well, they're not exactly the listening type..."

For the second time that day, Utena gets bumped into. She's not one for hinting by throat clearing or attempting to wheedle apologies out of someone.

"Hey, watch it!" She says, bluntly.

He immediately feeds off that irritation, inciting his own frustrations further as he shoots a scowl over at whoever he bumped into.

"You watch it," Ed snaps back, barely pausing in his movements to give the retort. He's got authority figures to track down and harass. He doesn't have the time or patience to deal with someone else who might annoy him.

"No you watch it!" Clearly this is shaping up to be an intellectually gifted conversation. "And while you're at it, tell me where this is and why i've been brought here!" Herp derp derp we're here for the same reason but are too pigheaded to immediately realize it.

Without missing a beat Ed whirls back around on his heel to face the girl, setting a glare on her.

"Do you ever try thinking for a second before you open your mouth to talk? 'Cause I'm sure that if you did, you'd have already figured out that I don't know the answer to that!!"

No, she usually doesn't.

"Sorry about that! I guess we'll both have to try to find that out!" She says, her voice completely unchanged so despite her apology it sounds still as if she's arguing with him.

And she stalks off...right in the direction he's going anyway. She can be found arguing with the hapless clerk, gesturing profusely.

That actually makes Ed pause for a moment, disoriented. What the hell just happened there?

He follows her movements with his eyes for a moment, just to see where she's going. Then his scowl is back when he sees her arguing with the clerk. He rolls his eyes and heads off to find anyone else who might have information.

So someone else shares her displeasure. Might as well try to talk to them, right?

"Have you managed to get anything out of them yet? I've been trying, but they won't let us get away."

And being herded like this is starting to make Lyra nervous, though she shoves that feeling down, away from her face and her voice, down to the pit of her stomach.

Ed turns to the girl with a quirk of an eyebrow and a frown. He takes a moment to consider whether or not she was looking for comfort or just the facts. Not that it matters. He's never really been fond of sugar-coating things, and right now he especially lacks the patience to try it.

"Nothing. They just keep spitting out the same bullshit over and over, refusing to be helpful in any shape or form."

"Figures. I just hope they en't planning on attacking us or something," Lyra said grimly, looking around.

His frown deepens. "If whoever brought us here really wanted us hurt or worse, I'm sure they'd have done something to that effect by now."

"You're probably right. They did have us all unconscious," although Lyra's really hoping this isn't another Bolvangar.

"Exactly."

But that brought up a whole other set of questions in need of answers. Ed falls silent for a moment, brow furrowed while he thinks. Why have all these people been brought here? And who's behind it all?

"I just hope this en't some kind of experiment," is Lyra's next comment. Something about the staff here reminds her of the people at Bolvangar.

An experiment.

That makes the serious look on Ed's face intensify, the muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenches his teeth. His eyes sweep through the crowd, searching for anyone who at least doesn't look horribly confused. "I hope so, too."

Round 1 [new characters and round announcement]

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